


Under a Sleepless Moon

by Banjkaz



Category: Tiger & Bunny
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Exhaustion, Hand Jobs, Headaches & Migraines, Insomnia, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Sleep Deprivation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-30
Updated: 2020-07-03
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:40:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24990937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Banjkaz/pseuds/Banjkaz
Summary: The bottle of oil is in Barnaby’s hand and he pauses, glancing back over his shoulder. “This isn’t the first time, then.” It’s not a question and Kotetsu knows it.“No,” he admits.“How long?”Kotetsu’s eyes dart away and his mouth scrunches up in that way that Barnaby can quickly identify as wishing he could avoid the question. “Ahh...few weeks?”Barnaby tamps down on his irritation at the fact that Kotetsu has apparently been keeping this to himself for some time now. “Weeks? Kotetsu, you haven’t been able to sleep properly forweeks?”
Relationships: Barnaby "Bunny" Brooks Jr./Kaburagi T. Kotetsu
Comments: 23
Kudos: 133





	1. Chapter 1

_Huuuwaaaaaaugh._

The loud, obnoxious yawn from the desk next to him does _not_ make Barnaby jump. It does make him drop his pen, which is about all he’ll willingly admit, and he looks up wearily.

“Do you mind?”

Kotetsu has the decency to look a little embarrassed at least, belatedly covering his mouth with the back of his hand. Too little too late, but Barnaby appreciates the effort. “Ahaha...sorry about that.”

Barnaby gives a noncommittal hum in response and glances at Kotetsu. He’s still wearing his domino mask - seems to have forgotten to remove it after the interview they did this morning - but Barnaby can see that Kotetsu’s eyes are tired; there’s not as much light in them as normal. “Up late last night, old man?” His tone is light and curious rather than accusatory.

“Aaahh, something like that.” Kotetsu chuckles and scratches the back of his head. “Maybe I just get real lonely without you there at night to keep me warm, Bunny.”

The comment catches him off guard - though really, after all these months officially together, it _shouldn’t_ \- and Barnaby’s cheeks flush. “Is that so,” is about all he can manage, and when Kotetsu smirks in response with gleaming eyes, Barnaby wonders if he imagined how tired his partner looked before. “I’m sure you’ll manage just fine with an extra blanket instead.”

The wounded puppy-dog look he gets in response is a cute one on Kotetsu, though Barnaby knows the other man would be utterly insufferable if he ever admitted it aloud. He hides a smile in his coffee and returns to the report he’s finalizing while pointedly ignoring Kotetsu’s grumbling.

* * *

A week later, they’ve wrapped up work quite late after a three-alarm fire led to a total structure collapse. There were dozens of civilians inside, but with the combined effort of all of Sternbild's heroes everyone was brought to safety. A fair number of points are earned by all, and overall it’s a successful rescue.

Running high on the thrill of success (and, okay, getting a glimpse of Bunny in that amazing black undersuit afterwards), Kotetsu invites Barnaby back to his place. The heated look he gets as they clamber through the door sends shivers down Barnaby’s spine; it’s not every night that Kotetsu moves to take charge and it’s a delicious feeling when Barnaby is crowded against the wall.

“Let’s take a shower,” Kotetsu murmurs, lips brushing Barnaby’s. And yeah, maybe he’s tired, but he’ll be damned if he misses a chance to make his Bunny come undone. He slots his leg between the younger man’s and clutches his hips to coax Barnaby to shift against him.

“Best idea you’ve had all day, old man,” Barnaby hums, rolling lightly into the touch. 

The heat between them simmers down to a low roil as they slowly strip. It’s Kotetsu’s place, so though it goes against every fiber of his being Barnaby lets his clothes drop to the floor. (Kotetsu doesn’t mind, but he’s well aware trying the same thing at Barnaby’s place is a death wish.) Despite Kotetsu’s earlier flare of dominance, it’s boiled down to something slow and achingly sweet by the time they get into the shower. Not that Barnaby ever minds when it goes this way - he’s discovering that any way of doing things with Kotetsu is pretty fantastic.

Though…

He doesn’t think he’s imagining the way that Kotetsu’s movements are becoming borderline sluggish. His attempts to assist Barnaby with washing up have become less helpful and more going through the motions of it - and not because he’s in a hurry to get to the good part.

“I didn’t realize you were _this_ old,” Barnaby teases, but takes pause when Kotetsu glances up to meet his eyes. His partner looks _tired_ , and judging by the slightly hazy turn to his gaze this might go beyond staying late at work this evening.

 _Dammit to hell._ Kotetsu sighs and runs a soap-coated hand through his hair, wincing when he realizes his mistake. “Ah, jeez.” He glances down, sadly confirming that he is, indeed, no longer rising to the challenge. “Well, _that’s_ embarrassing.” 

It _really_ gets under his skin that this whole ‘being tired’ thing is now causing problems in his _very_ enjoyable sex life. _Get up, you,_ he scowls at his dick. It fails to respond, and Kotetsu knows that at this point since he can barely stay standing on the slick linoleum tile of the shower he’s definitely not going to be able to nail Barnaby into the mattress the way he’d intended.

Barnaby bites his cheek so hard it hurts and buries his face into Kotetsu’s sopping hair to hide his smile. He knows he’d be mortified were the situation flipped, and laughing aloud at Kotetsu for this is just... _mean._ Still, the indignant face Kotetsu makes at his wilting cock is _kind of hilarious_ and Barnaby is only human.

The sigh that leaves Kotetsu is even heavier than the first and pulls Barnaby back to the present. “...I’m sorry, Bunny.” He tilts his head, pressing his temple to Barnaby’s, and it makes Barnaby melt a bit. “I’m just so damn _tired._ ”

And god, but he sounds it right now. Work must have really worn him down today. “Don’t worry about it.” Barnaby turns to press a kiss to Kotetsu’s cheek. “Get a good night’s sleep and maybe you can make it up to me in the morning.” He soothes a hand up and down Kotetsu’s spine, enjoying the way the older man leans more heavily against him. Even if things don’t go any further than this, Kotetsu’s strong body against his own is always pleasant.

He feels Kotetsu smile against his lips and Barnaby starts when a warm hand circles his length. “Sounds good. But…” Kotetsu squeezes playfully and Barnaby shudders a gasp as his knees threaten to buckle. “...think I can at least do this for you right now.” It’s the least he can do after getting Barnaby all riled up and then being completely unable to follow through.

Even with how tired Kotetsu is, the movements of his deft, strong fingers can still take Barnaby apart with an almost embarrassing ease. They trade soft kisses under the cooling water while they finish cleaning up, and Barnaby is feeling pleasantly warm and drowsy by the time Kotetsu turns off the water.

He just hopes that Kotetsu will sleep as well as Barnaby knows he’s about to.

* * *

12:15 am. The water filter runs and fills a glass.

2:37 am. The toilet flushes.

3:15 am. Footsteps pad the loft for a short while.

When Kotetsu stirs and sits up _again_ at 4:28 am, Barnaby finally cracks a little. He rolls over and snaps. “ _Kotetsu._ If you get out of this bed _one more time_ , I’m going to _tie_ you to it.”

And then, that’s when Barnaby realizes that something is _wrong._ Normally a comment like that would draw _some_ kind of reaction. Of course it’s late, but that never stops Kotetsu. Maybe a smirk, maybe a low little purr about how “think we’d _both_ like that, Bunny”, hell - even arguing or telling him to cut it out, that he’s too old for something so strenuous... _something_.

But all he gets in response is Kotetsu’s borderline dead-eyed stare. The circles beneath his eyes are dark and make his eyes look a bit sunken. Barnaby’s irritation dies in his mouth as he sits up, fully awake and more than a little concerned.

“Sorry.” Kotetsu’s voice is rough as he smooths Barnaby’s mussed hair back from his face. “I’ll move to the couch, alright? You try and go back to sleep.”

Barnaby wants to argue, tell Kotetsu that he should just stay put, but the older man just gives him a tired little kiss and rises, taking his pillow with him as he leaves the room.

There's no more restless tossing and turning to keep him awake, but Barnaby still finds he can't sleep.

* * *

When his alarm goes off at 6:30, Barnaby is decidedly still tired. Not entirely because of Kotetsu’s restless night - though that certainly didn’t help - but because he couldn’t sleep now that he’s realized just how much Kotetsu is being affected by his lack of sleep.

He leaves the bedroom only to find the rest of the loft dark. He hopes that means that Kotetsu managed to sleep - maybe even still is sleeping. Moving as quietly as he can, Barnaby picks his way down the stairs. It’s unfortunate he’s going to have to go directly behind the couch to get to the little kitchenette, but he’s no stranger to light steps.

Not light enough, apparently. Kotetsu jerks and sits straight up, wide awake in an instant, as Barnaby crosses the room. Barnaby tries not to sigh; he’d been hoping not to wake him.

“I’m sorry,” he murmurs, pausing to lean down and drop a kiss on Kotetsu’s forehead. “I’d hoped you were still sleeping.”

“Mmm.” Kotetsu grumbles sleepily and rubs his eyes, and Barnaby notices that he seems at least a little more alert. “Nah...you’re rubbing off on me, Mr. Morning Bird.” He smiles, and it’s so soft and warm with Kotetsu gently lit by the sun rising in the side windows that it almost hurts. “I’m up. I grabbed almost another solid two hours.”

Barnaby doesn’t even try to do the math. It’s not enough sleep, no matter how much it tallies up to be. “Did you at least sleep better out here?” he tosses over his shoulder as he rummages through the fridge to find something he can cook for breakfast. It occurs to him that he must really be worried about Kotetsu, as the thought of making him _fried rice_ for _breakfast_ briefly flashes through his mind _._

“Kinda…” The word trails off and dies in another yawn and Kotetsu groans. “Ugh. At least out here I wasn’t gonna keep waking you.”

Barnaby frowns a little at that as he retrieves the eggs and closes the refrigerator door. “I shouldn’t have been so short with you last night.”

Kotetsu chuckles, his voice still rough with sleep as he stretches. It’s utterly satisfying the way his bones pop and he looks very much like a cat as he arches and hums. “You kidding? I’m surprised you didn’t try to smother me with a pillow. It was _annoying_ I kept getting up, Bunny; it’s okay that you were _annoyed_.”

Barnaby cracks some eggs into a bowl. “If it was that annoying for me, I can’t imagine it was any better for you.” 

It makes Kotetsu smile that Barnaby’s no longer trying to downplay that it was actually a nuisance. He wants to respond, but Kotetsu’s interrupted by another huge yawn. Now he’s just annoyed, silently asking his body ‘ _you done?’_ before being able to grind out an answer. “Yeah, sleepless nights are rough. Usually I’m not dragging you down with me, though.”

The bottle of oil is in Barnaby’s hand and he pauses, glancing back over his shoulder. “This isn’t the first time, then.” It’s not a question and Kotetsu knows it.

“No,” he admits.

“How long?”

Kotetsu’s eyes dart away and his mouth scrunches up in that way that Barnaby can quickly identify as wishing he could avoid the question. “Ahh...few weeks?”

Barnaby tamps down on his irritation at the fact that Kotetsu has apparently been keeping this to himself for some time now. “Weeks? Kotetsu, you haven’t been able to sleep properly for _weeks?_ ” He stirs the eggs with a little more aggression than is called for in order to keep the frustration out of his voice. “Has it affected your performance at work?”

It’s probably a sore spot to poke, as Kotetsu’s eyebrows draw together in irritation. “No,” he says a bit shortly. “You know that. I can pull it together for work just fine.”

A quick mental check reminds Barnaby that yes, Kotetsu has been just fine at work. Adrenaline probably helps wake him up if nothing else...and then all of it bleeding away afterwards makes him even more exhausted later. It’s a vicious cycle.

Barnaby doesn’t apologize for asking (he’d be negligent _not_ to ask) and Kotetsu doesn’t apologize for being short (Barnaby knows he would be, too). He sinks his teeth into his lip, thinking, and pours the scrambled eggs into the heated pan. “Do you know why you’re not sleeping?”

Kotetsu scratches his scalp, making his bedhead an even more hopeless mess. “Wish I did,” he sighs. “Could make it stop then. I dunno. It’s just...not happening.”

There’s a moment of silence while Barnaby pushes the eggs around in the pan with a rubber scraper, thinking. Kotetsu claims to have slept at least a little better on the couch...maybe he’d do better to stay there?

(The thought is only half-germinated when he dismisses it; it’s not going to go well if he suggests that his partner sleep on his couch _in his own home_. Woe betide the person who would dare suggest such a thing to Barnaby, so he won’t bother mentioning that idea to Kotetsu.)

“Maybe you _should_ just tie me to the bed,” Kotetsu grumbles as he finally pushes himself up and slugs into the kitchen. 

The way he slumps against Barnaby and slowly wraps his arms around him reminds Barnaby that they haven’t properly greeted each other yet this morning. Kotetsu buries his face against Barnaby’s bare neck, the heat of his chest bleeding into Barnaby’s back. It’s familiar, comforting, and - yeah, a bit heavy with Kotetsu just tiredly sagging against him. But Kotetsu’s weight is always welcome and Barnaby sighs out warmly as he shifts back to press into his partner.

“There’s other ways we can try to get you to sleep, first,” Barnaby says before a little smirk crosses his face. “No need to jump right into the kinky solution.”

When Kotetsu nips his ear, palms the front of his pajama pants, and playfully reminds him in a low growl that _Barnaby_ had been the one to jump to that idea first at 4:30 am, the eggs nearly burn.

* * *

Barnaby returns to his own place after breakfast, needing to catch up on laundry and a few things lying ignored on his desk for a few days. Just general house chores, the things that often seem to fill every waking free moment of an adult’s life.

He’s in no rush to get back to Kotetsu’s place, not really - Kotetsu dismissed him to do errands with the promise that he would get to his own while Barnaby was gone. He seems to have livened up with some food in him, a genuine smile on his face as he starts listing the things he should really get done (the way that smile slowly fades as the list grows is also endearingly genuine), and Barnaby is more thankful to see Kotetsu more like his usual self than he’ll openly admit.

The sun dyes the sky a deep ochre by the time Barnaby finally finishes up everything he needs to. It’s still early enough that he could swing by a takeout place, grab some dinner, and take it back to Kotetsu’s. He sends a message to his partner, asking what he’s hungry for, and his brow creases when it pops up as undelivered. That means Kotetsu’s phone is off (best case scenario) or completely indisposed (worst case scenario). It’s only happened once or twice that Kotetsu still has it on him when an off-duty emergency happens, and he jumps into action with it still in his pocket; the last time where he’d been thrown through a brick wall before hitting the steel wall of a giant bank safe had been a particularly horrible end for the previous device.

But his call bracelet hasn’t gone off all day, so it’s more likely that the phone is just off. Still Barnaby frowns and gathers his things with a little more speed than usual.

He’s not concerned enough to skip picking up food, but he is mildly concerned when he approaches the loft and it’s entirely dark. Barnaby hurries to let himself in with the spare key he’d been given a few months back, stepping into the darkness and closing the door behind him.

“Kotetsu?” he calls. There’s no response and he raises his voice a little louder before calling the older man’s name again. This time there’s a weak but decidedly irritated grumble from the general direction of the couch and Barnaby flicks on the light.

He finds his partner curled up into a ball on the couch, head shoved under a pillow and looking completely miserable. A pained hiss leaves Kotetsu as he pulls the pillow down over his face to totally cover it, but Barnaby can still understand his muffled plea to “turn off the damn light”.

Barnaby does so, quickly. “Are you okay?”

Even the sound of Barnaby’s voice is clearly too much right now and Kotetsu groans. He sounds so small and utterly miserable that Barnaby can nearly feel the pain in his own head. “...feels like someone’s driving a nail through my head. Over. And over. And over.”

Likely a migraine, then. Barnaby unlaces his boots so his steps across the wooden floor will be as quiet as possible. “When did this start?” He keeps his voice low as he sets the first boot to the side.

“Couple’a hours ago.” Kotetsu takes a breath and shuts his eyes. “Bunny...talking _hurts._ ”

Barnaby knows. He’s all too familiar with even the slightest movement of your head - moving your mouth included - making it pound even worse. But seeing Kotetsu so obviously in pain strikes to the heart of the problem - this is likely because Kotetsu hasn’t been sleeping.

It hits him that Kotetsu might have just been lying here in the dark, unable to sleep and just forced to _lie there_ with the pain. And yes, logically they’ve taken far worse hits that have put them in the actual _hospital_ before, but he knows just how _miserable_ something like this can feel. It’s not the crushing weight of a building falling on them, but it’s a different kind of crushing weight localized just to your brain.

He silently pads out to the kitchen, opening the freezer as quietly as possible and retrieving the ice pack that they keep on hand. Barnaby wraps it in a tea towel - it’s a gentle, muted blue, and it’ll help keep the cold from becoming painful against Kotetsu’s skin.

When he returns to Kotetsu’s side, Barnaby kneels next to the couch rather than sit on it and jostle his partner. “Where does it hurt the worst?” he murmurs. Kotetsu gingerly removes the pillow from his head and just as carefully points to his forehead, about two inches above his eye. With as much care as possible, Barnaby lays the ice pack on that spot.

Kotetsu groans, but this sounds at least ten percent less pained and his hand reaches out to try and figure out where Barnaby is. Barnaby softens and catches Kotetsu’s wandering hand, just holding it and kneeling there until he hears Kotetsu’s breath deepen in what he hopes is sleep.

Barnaby shifts so that he’s sitting with his back against the couch instead of kneeling beside it. The change takes the weight off of his knees, which is good because Kotetsu refuses to let go of his hand and damn if Barnaby is going to leave him like this - when he might _finally_ have fallen asleep.

He frowns into the darkness. _This is unacceptable._ He’s not going to let his partner continue on like this, bouncing between exhaustion and pain. 

Come hell or high water, Barnaby is going to find a way to help Kotetsu get some sleep again.


	2. Chapter 2

Kotetsu slowly recovers from his migraine, dozing most of the night and occasionally waking up fully. Some of the times he wakes, Barnaby is still sitting there beside the couch (frowning and softly chiding him to go back to sleep) - others, Kotetsu can hear him quietly shuffling around the loft. But just knowing that Barnaby is close comforts Kotetsu and he’s able to drop back off each time - even if he tosses restlessly most of the night.

When he wakes the next day, he slowly sits up and groans. His head still aches, but this is a manageable pain rather than the debilitating agony of the previous night. God, but he swears that even all the times he’s been thrown through a building, migraines still hurt like nothing else. He’s thankful it’s one of his rare days off; hopefully he’ll be able to get some food, go back to bed, and just…sleep...this...off…

He sighs and rakes a hand through his hair tiredly. Okay, if he  _ could _ sleep, he’d be able to sleep it off. He has to try, though - Agnes is less than sympathetic towards him on a good day, and if he can’t get back up to peak performance, that gala they’re supposed to attend tomorrow night is going to make for a  _ very bad day _ .

When he finally manages to drag himself up and off the couch (oof, but he’s gonna feel that for the rest of the day), he finds his phone plugged in and a text message on it from Barnaby. A quick glance at the time tells him that the message is a few hours old.

[From: Bunny

_ Morning, old man. I needed to do some shopping, so I couldn’t stay. _ ]

Well, that answers the question of whether or not Kotetsu is alone in his loft.

[To: Bunny

_ stole away when you could, huh? don’t blame you. _ ]

[To: Bunny

_ sorry for being so boring yesterday. I really am an old man. _ ]

Kotetsu sucks his teeth and pockets his phone, irritated with himself. He hates the fact that Barnaby had to see him like that, had to take his evening and just sit there with Kotetsu, who was about as engaging as a rock.

Actually, he’s pretty sure that rocks are more engaging than he was.

He’s surprised when his phone pings almost immediately and Kotetsu fumbles it back out of his pocket.

[From: Bunny

_ Good grief...you really are hopeless. _ ]

[From: Bunny

_ I have things to do today, but after dinner I want you to come over. _ ]

Kotetsu’s halfway through writing a playfully leering text (“Not sure I’m up for a booty call, Bunny”) when the next few messages come through.

[From: Bunny

_ I can hear you typing something lewd. Don’t bother. _ ] (Kotetsu definitely doesn’t pout, but he does begrudgingly erase his own message.)

[From: Bunny

_ I’ll be able to keep a better eye on you if you’re here. _ ]

Kotetsu’s eyebrows arch at that. It’s not often that he gets an invite to Barnaby’s place - not that he isn’t welcome there, but somehow Barnaby seems to prefer his much smaller loft in the Bronze Stage. He hasn’t been able to  _ exactly _ figure out why yet, though Kotetsu suspects it has to do with the atmosphere here versus how...empty Barnaby’s place seems.

And while Kotetsu loves his own place, he’s never going to scoff at a chance to stay at Barnaby’s.

[From: Bunny

_ Bring an overnight bag. I want to try something. _ ]

That text makes Kotetsu smile. He can imagine his Bunny’s serious little stare, directly telling Kotetsu that he has something he wants to try. Not that Kotetsu can even pretend to guess what exactly that is, but he’s willing to play along.

[To: Bunny

_ alright. I’ll be there. _ ]

[To: Bunny

😚💚]

Emojis drive Barnaby nuts, so naturally Kotetsu loves to litter his texts with them when it seems appropriate. He smirks quietly when he receives no answer to his kissy face and puts his phone away.

Most of his day is spent trying to slowly get himself together while still coping with the remnants of his migraine. It makes him a bit sluggish, but a shower and some food helps. By the time he’s finished with that, it’s past noon - he definitely took longer to get moving this morning. Kotetsu groans softly and scratches his jaw as he strolls bare-chested through the loft, trying to wake himself up more.

He does manage to knock out some of the laundry that’s been building up before he realizes he should probably get ready to head over to Barnaby’s. Kotetsu tosses together the few things he’ll need that he doesn’t already keep there (some shirts and a spare toothbrush have migrated over there over the last few weeks) and tugs on a loose t-shirt. It’s not often he goes so casual, but...well, he’s just going over to Barnaby’s place. And judging by the younger man’s text, Kotetsu wonders if he’s actually going to be keeping his clothes on for very long.

His headache has mostly faded by the time he gets to Barnaby’s place and parks his car. He makes it into the elevator and up to the door without incident, taking the time to admire the scenery from the glass elevator as it climbs to Barnaby's floor. It’s not long after Kotetsu knocks that Barnaby opens the door for him.

“Sorry for the intrusion,” Kotetsu says as he steps in and toes off his shoes.

Barnaby is halfway between deciding if the appropriate response is a flat “I invited you over” or a teasing “well, you certainly  _ can _ be one”, but neither comes out when Kotetsu leans in to give him a warm little kiss in greeting. He’s caught off guard by it and a tiny smile slips out as their mouths move together.

When they break apart, Barnaby asks: “how are you feeling?”

Kotetsu makes a little noncommittal noise and shrugs his shoulders. “Alive,” is what he says, then elaborates at Barnaby’s stern stare. “Definitely better than last night, at least. I don’t even remember what time I passed out on the couch.”

Barnaby steps aside to let Kotetsu in properly and the older man putters about, making himself at home. “It seemed as if you were sleeping when I left this morning.”

Wide, horrified eyes turn on Barnaby then and Kotetsu groans. “Oh, god, Bunny, don’t tell me you stayed on the  _ floor _ all night.”

The truth is that he stayed there for far longer than he probably should have, but Barnaby shakes his head. “No, I did go to bed at some point. It seemed as if you were asleep, so after you let go of my hand I went up to your bed.”

Kotetsu squints as he tries to pick through the half-truth. “At some point,” he parrots slowly, and Barnaby rolls his eyes in response.

“Yes,  _ at some point, _ ” he repeats a third time. “I’m glad to know your hearing hasn’t suffered in your age, old man. Now come in. I’ve ordered takeout.”

As soon as he gets a whiff of the food, Kotetsu perks up a little. It smells like his favorite place, and the logo on the bag on the table confirms that it is indeed from said restaurant. “You’re gonna spoil me,” he teases and tucks an arm around Barnaby’s shoulders.

Though Barnaby rolls his eyes again, it’s much harder to hide the little upward quirk of his lips as he grabs his container, shrugs off Kotetsu’s arm, and heads for the couch. “They’re close by; it wasn’t too troublesome to order from there.”

Okay...now Kotetsu is more than a little suspicious that something is going on. Barnaby  _ never _ eats on the couch, much less encourages Kotetsu to do the same. Which he’s currently doing, if that little motion of his hand means anything. Kotetsu arches an eyebrow and makes his way over cautiously, as if he’s hyperaware of trying not to get punked by what seems like an obvious trap.

But Barnaby says nothing when Kotetsu gingerly sits, holding his takeout container far away from his body so as not to spill even a drop on the couch. It’s endearing, even though Barnaby privately thinks he’s more likely to spill on the floor like that. He silently and preemptively hands Kotetsu a napkin.

“I’ll be careful,” Kotetsu protests before promptly sending a droplet of oyster sauce flying to the floor when he cracks open the lid. The last syllable awkwardly trails off and dies as Kotetsu purses his lips, leans over, and wipes the spot off the floor. He unfolds the napkin and lays it across his knees, then carefully balances the container in his lap.

Dinner is companionable and warm, even if Kotetsu is a little more subdued than normal. Between the lingering tendrils of his headache and his general lack of sleep lately, he’s a little drained. But he’s thankful for Barnaby’s company and by the time they’re finished eating, Kotetsu is happily pressing closer to his partner.

“Let me get these,” Barnaby says and plucks the container from Kotetsu’s hand before he can protest. “Wait here.”

“Bunny, lemme help - ” Kotetsu tries to sit up, not wanting to make his partner clean up everything alone.

But Barnaby dismisses Kotetsu’s attempt with a wave of his hand and heads into the kitchen, subtly dimming the lights just a little on his way out.

Here he takes his time, putting away the leftovers in more sturdy containers. He slowly places them in the fridge - middle shelf, away from the single package of raw chicken on the bottom shelf so as to avoid cross contamination, but below the few condiments he keeps on the top shelf. His fridge is otherwise mostly bare, so he doesn’t need to take the time to make sure that everything is perfectly straight.

But he does.

“Bunny…?”

He glances into the living room at the little call, a tiny smile curling his lips when he notices Kotetsu shifting from side to side on the couch. It’s telling that his partner, for once in his life, isn’t trying to fill the silence with conversation. Kotetsu definitely looks tired, blinking slowly in the dimmed lights. And if Barnaby’s not mistaken, he may be starting to lean a little as well.

“I’ll be out shortly, Kotetsu. Be patient.”

Barnaby steps away from the doorway before he can be caught smiling, returning to slowly cleaning up after their dinner: rinsing the takeout containers, soaping them up at a glacial pace, leisurely rinsing them out again, and setting them up to dry in the dish drainer. When he’s done with that, he wipes down the counter and sweeps away an invisible crumb, just to take his time.

He’s suspected that Kotetsu might not sleep well in his own bed  _ because _ he’s had so many restless nights in it. An awful cycle where many bad nights of rest left him exhausted and stressed when we went to bed, worrying about whether or not he’d get sleep and, ironically, keeping himself awake. And while Kotetsu’s snooze on the couch last night wasn’t exactly  _ restful _ , he definitely at least stayed on it all night as far as Barnaby can tell. 

That made him think that maybe a change of scenery can help Kotetsu. And right now, Barnaby's waiting to see if Kotetsu will fall asleep on his couch.

By the time Barnaby has run out of little chores he can stretch out, he notices that Kotetsu’s gone quiet. He peeks out, more than a little pleased when he sees that his partner is curled up on the couch - he’s migrated to one corner of it, knees drawn up - but feet  _ not _ on the couch, Barnaby notices with a chuckle - and head lolling to rest on the back of the couch. With the way his head has tipped back, Barnaby’s not surprised to hear a light snore.

Normally, he can’t stand Kotetsu’s snoring; it’s completely unbearable and Barnaby won’t get any sleep if he doesn’t fall asleep before it starts. But right now, he takes it as a sign that Kotetsu might actually be getting some sleep.

He pads silently across the flat before crouching and sliding his arms under Kotetsu. A wry smile quirks his lips that Kotetsu isn’t awake to whine about being princess carried, and he holds his partner against his chest. Kotetsu stirs a little, grunting and blinking awake at the movement and heat of Barnaby’s body. “Mmmwhu…?”

“Shh.” It’s quick and firm, but there’s warmth to it as Barnaby glances down and begins the trek to the bedroom. “We’re going to bed.”

“Buh’I din’...help clean…” A little frown furrows Kotetsu’s brow and Barnaby privately marvels at how a grown man can somehow manage to look  _ cute _ when he pouts.

Barnaby can’t hide a little grin, but with how Kotetsu looks ready to burrow back into his chest, he doesn’t have to. “You were  _ very  _ helpful, staying exactly where I told you to.” And okay, he’s hoping that Kotetsu’s tired enough that he’ll only focus on the idea that he helped, and not the actual words.

It doesn’t appear that Kotetsu is quite that far into dreamland, however, as his little scowl deepens and he pokes the tip of his tongue out. “Mmm. Shoulda let me…”

The more he talks, the more likely he is to wake up, and Barnaby cuts him off as he enters the bedroom. “There are plenty of other things you can help me clean _tomorrow_. You were finally getting some sleep, so get back to it.”

There’s a moment of silence long enough that Barnaby thinks Kotetsu has actually dozed back off, but then the older man snorts. “...I really  _ am _ an old man,” he grumbles, and Barnaby rolls his eyes as he lays Kotetsu down on the black sheets.

“A tired old man,” he agrees, and Kotetsu snorts again.

By the time Barnaby has changed into a pair of pajama pants, Kotetsu seems to at least have given up on trying to fully wake back up and has settled for kicking off his pants. He’s burrowing under the sheets when Barnaby peels back a corner to slip into bed.

“...is that one of  _ my _ shirts?” Barnaby sighs when he finally gets a good look at the soft purple t-shirt Kotetsu wears. He’d been  _ wondering  _ where that one got to.

“Smells like you.”

Unsurprising. Kotetsu has managed to nab more than a few of his shirts with the same excuse; with how similar their body types are it’s often hard to tell one is gone until he goes specifically to look for it. Barnaby shakes his head and slots himself in behind Kotetsu. It’s not their usual sleeping position - typically Kotetsu snuggles up against him, happily proclaiming that he’s “the big spoon for a little Bunny” as he buries his face in the back of Barnaby’s neck. And sure enough, Kotetsu squirms in his arms like he’s trying to flip over. Barnaby holds him tighter to keep him still.

“ _ I’m _ the big spoon tonight.” And only Barnaby Brooks Jr. can make such a ridiculous sentence sound so serious, and his cheeks flush slightly. Judging by the way Kotetsu shakes against him, he finds it just as funny.

“Mkay, mkay,” he mumbles into the pillow. “You’re the big spoon.”

Barnaby can feel Kotetsu relax in his arms and snuggle further into his bed. And while normally he wouldn’t be ready to sleep at this hour, Barnaby finds himself stifling a yawn against Kotetsu’s back. Watching his partner get drowsy and fall asleep has left him a little tired himself, it seems.

Before he dozes off, Kotetsu’s voice pulls him back to wakefulness. “...Bunny?”

“Hm?”

A pause before a warm hand awkwardly reaches behind him to try and pat at Barnaby’s hair. “‘M really tired. So thanks.”

Barnaby smiles and his hand skims up to rest on Kotetsu’s chest, catching his free hand and linking their fingers together. “Sleep well, Kotetsu.”

He doesn’t sleep - not yet. Barnaby stays awake long enough to feel Kotetsu go heavy in his arms. Though he suspects his right arm will go numb soon, he can’t bring himself to move Kotetsu now that he’s finally asleep.

Thankfully, Barnaby falls asleep before Kotetsu begins to snore.

* * *

It’s the sun spilling across Barnaby’s face the next morning that makes him stir, which tells him two things: one, it’s morning; and two, nothing else has woken him before this.

Which means…

His arms are empty, but Kotetsu isn’t far. The older man has rolled onto his back and starfished at some point during the night, encroaching into Barnaby’s space. But he is, to Barnaby’s relief, still dead asleep and snoring quietly.

The sunlight will eventually creep further across the bed and into Kotetsu’s eyes, so Barnaby quietly slips out of bed and over to the window, drawing the curtains tightly shut to block out any remaining light. Kotetsu is sleeping soundly for the first time in god knows how long, and Barnaby isn’t going to let that slip away.

But the effort is for naught, as when he crawls back into bed Kotetsu’s eyes open slowly. “Mm...morning.” The older man’s voice is a low rumble and he smiles sleepily at Barnaby.

“Good morning,” Barnaby murmurs back. “I’m sorry to wake you.”

Kotetsu waves his hand tiredly, then moves it to try and cover the enormous yawn that escapes. “Wasn’t you,” he assures. “Have to use the bathroom...think it was kind of nudging me awake anyway.”

Barnaby shakes his head with a little smile. “By all means,” he says, and Kotetsu leans over to kiss his nose before stumbling out of bed and towards the bathroom. 

When he returns a few minutes later and burrows back into the covers, Barnaby shifts and opens his eyes again. He must have dozed. “How did you sleep?”

Kotetsu’s eyes are practically gold even in the low light of the bedroom and he smiles. “...really good,” he says. “Best sleep I’ve had in weeks.”

That does more to Barnaby’s heart than he’d care to admit, and he finds himself smiling, too. “I’m glad to hear.” His hand reaches out to card through Kotetsu’s hair, and the other man gives a soft contented noise. “I wondered if a change of scenery might help.”

“So smart, Bunny.” Kotetsu’s smile turns dopey and teasing and he runs his hand to cup Barnaby’s cheek before leaning in to brush their lips together. “Thank you. You have no idea how badly I needed that.”

“You were asleep on my couch within twenty minutes of being left alone, old man,” Barnaby teases. “I had  _ some  _ clue. And  _ don’t _ apologize for that.” His finger snaps up to rest against Kotetsu’s lips before the older man can even try to voice an apology. “I took my time cleaning up in the hopes it would give you a chance to fall asleep.”

Kotetsu chuckles beneath Barnaby’s finger before lightly kissing it. “So that’s why you told me to stay put,” he mutters. “Well, it worked.” He wraps an arm around his partner, pulling him close and pressing their chests together. “Mmm...what time is it?”

Barnaby turns back over his shoulder, squinting to try and see the clock. “Before seven,” he confirms.

“Perfect.” Kotetsu rolls over and presses his back to Barnaby’s chest. “Honestly? Feels like I could knock back out.” He glances back over his shoulder with the most pleading gaze that Barnaby has ever seen. “And I need my big spoon to sleep…”

Why he indulges this man...Barnaby will never know. (He knows. He  _ knows _ why. He’s just refusing to admit it right this moment.) He chuckles and obliges Kotetsu, tugging him against his chest and tucking his head to Kotetsu’s shoulder. “I see why you like to do this,” he says. “Go back to sleep.”

Kotetsu chuckles, but it already sounds endearingly sleepy again. “Ni’ni, Bunny…”

Barnaby turns his head to press a kiss to Kotetsu’s cheek. “Goodnight, Kotetsu.”

He’s normally an early riser; he likes to start his days early and accomplish a lot before noon. But today, Barnaby thinks as he dozes off again, making sure that Kotetsu can get even a few more hours of sleep is what he’s most interested in accomplishing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I really, really love Tiger and Bunny and would love to write more for them now that I feel I have a better grasp on the characters :>

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Per my usual behaviors, I am many many years late to a fandom. I actually started watching Tiger and Bunny in 2016 (aaand I was late even then lol), but didn't finish it until this year because...I'm the pokey little puppy.
> 
> I'm also totally projecting onto Kotetsu here. General stress and other issues mean I don't sleep well, and I have been where he is here. Poor guy just needs some sleep.
> 
> I've never written for this series so I'm hoping that I do okay with characterizations! I'm worried Barnaby in particular is too soft, but it is post-series and they've been together for some time so I think it's reasonable.
> 
> Thanks to Farah, Mal, and my husband for listening to me chatter about this idea! <3


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